


Painful Reunion

by christallic



Category: The Shannara Chronicles (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 10:10:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6150193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/christallic/pseuds/christallic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eretria comes back to Arborlon for Amberle. Set after 1x10</p>
            </blockquote>





	Painful Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> First of all I specifically ignored the Wil/Eretria kiss and the Wil/Amberle sex scene in 1x10.
> 
> And far more important I included Wil/Eretria bromance, well just a little but still! :)
> 
> I listened to "Of Monsters And Men - Thousand Eyes" while writing, so give it a try if you want.
> 
> Enjoy as always! :)
> 
>  
> 
> My Princess Rover Playlist : http://8tracks.com/c33/princess-rover

Eretria found another way out of Safehold. With just a few scratches, nothing to worry about. The sun is still shining but not long and it will be dark outside. She lets her mind wander a little bit, thinks about Amberle and Wil, if they made it. She shakes her head and smiles to herself. Of course they did, she wouldn't believe it any other way. Suddenly she hears a noise coming from near by, her hand drifts down to her dagger. Keeps it ready to throw when she sees blonde hair and a face she couldn't forget if she tried. Wil is slowly coming over, getting down from his horse. Eretria can't help a smile growing on her face, how happy she is to see him again.

Confused, she looks around. Her eyes move past him as she says "Why are you alone? Where is _Amberle_? Did she stay behind?" It is then when she realizes that Wil's expression changes, he isn't looking at her. It looks like there's sadness in his eyes. He clenches his jaw, tries to keep himself together but she could see tears building up in the corner of his eyes. 

" _Amberle is gone_." He stopped for a second to look up at Eretria. When he saw her confusion he continued "She is the seed that keeps the Ellcrys alive right now." Eretria slowly starts to shake her head, it gets more and more intense as the realization hits her " _She sacrificed herself_ , Eretria."

Wil tried to come closer but Eretria put one hand up to stop him. Her voice is covered in disbelief " _You are lying! That can't be true_." She looks at him with pain in her eyes. She says slowly rather to convince herself than him, but either way it sounds like a prayer " _She is waiting in Arborlon_! _Waiting for us to come back_!"

Wil shakes his head but keeps his eyes locked on hers as he says with a soft voice, careful not to say something wrong " _Eretria ..._ "

Wil tries to come closer again but Eretria stops him with both of her hands against his chest. She feels the pain beneath her ribs and knows if she accepts the fact that Amberle is gone, it is going to hurt so much more, her voice trembles " _No, please! Please tell me this isn't true! Please tell me she is fine! Tell me she is waiting for me!_ " She tries hard to hold back her tears, she is not ready to lose Amberle.

Her command is not granted when Wil speaks again, his voice is soft, he doesn't want to hurt her more than it already does " _Eretria, she is gone_."

She is still holding her arms up, the information doesn't quite get to her yet " _But she didn't say goodbye_." she pauses trying to get around saying it, but loses as the words come out of her mouth " _S-She just left ..._ " 

Wil knows what she is going through, he went through the same just hours ago. His own pain keeps lingering in the back of his throat as he replies " _I know_." because he knows nothing can make the pain go away. He wants to be there for her so he puts his arms around her. But Eretria is hitting him on his chest. She doesn't want to believe it.

He holds her, as she tries to find the right words to say. Anger and Sadness make it into her voice " _I need to see her one last time_!" She pauses and it doesn't take long, she can't hold the tears back. She tries to say so much more but the only words that come out of her are " _Wil, I need her ..._ " as sobs break through and make her unable to talk.

Wil still holds her, takes the beating and replies with the only words that make sense right now, because he understands " _I know_." Wil pulls her closer as her beating slowly fades away. He knows no amount of words can make this right again. It doesn't matter how long he holds her, he isn't able to heal her broken heart. But he knows she needs him right now and that is the only thing that matters. She rests her forehead on his shoulder. Both of them close their eyes, silent tears roll down on Wil's cheeks as Eretria sobs into his shoulder. The pain inside her grows as she realizes that she lost so many people, they just disappeared and now _Amberle_ was one of them.

_________

They find their way back to Arborlon but the night already settled down, a full moon shining and covering the palace in dim blue light. Wil and Eretria's paths separate when he goes to a guest room to sleep. She needed time for herself, Wil knew she has a lot to think about. Eretria runs into king Ander as she walks through the hallways, anger lingering inside of her unable to think about sleeping.

She doesn't register him, just as he stands right in front of her and speaks a gentle smile on his lips "Eretria finally you are here. I put aside some money, I'm sure that is the least I can do for you. You can have it now or ..."

But Eretria interrupts him, her voice driven by anger " _I don't want your stupid money! I want Amberle back! I only came for her!_ " she didn't really think before speaking but she realized it was true. _She wants Amberle_. Thinking about her smile, a warmth spreading in her chest.

She is pulled out of her thoughts by his soft voice, seeing him nod slowly with every spoken word "I think you should talk to her. She will be glad to hear your voice. She may not be able to reply but I am pretty sure she's able to listen."

Her voice breaks just a little when she replies " _I have nothing to say_!"

Everything seemed so different. She didn't came to Arborlon to talk to a tree. That is certain. She doesn't really know why she came back here. Wil dragged her with him, they didn't talk the whole ride. They couldn't, words would've just made it worse. Maybe she hoped to see her again. Maybe this was a _big joke_ and nothing of it really happened, _oh god she hoped so_.

But Ander understood, he lost her too. He knows what would help her so he suggests " _It's okay. You can just spend some time with her. She will appreciate it._ "

Before she could reject his suggestion, he puts one hand on her back and guides her through the halls until they stop right in front of a huge gate. Two guards covering the entrance. They move out of the way and open the two parted door.

Eretria looks at Ander when he says "It's okay. You will have your privacy. _Go_ " She nods and takes a few steps inside the room. She stops when she hears the door closing behind her. She is alone. She looks around, remembering she once was here. Right before their journey began.

_Everything becomes so sureal for a moment. She remembers meeting Amberle in the woods late at night not that far in the past. Impressed and curious about this elf. Her memories shift, Eretria is holding a knife against her throat. She doesn't want to kill Amberle, there's no desire to harm her. Her mind wanders deeper, they are both naked in Pykon. Eretria is getting closer to her. Pushing her way through the water. She is ready even though she knows Amberle isn't. She accepts her decision and moves on. Protecting Amberle with her life. Suddenly one image appears in her head. It's Amberle. Smiling at her and she could swear there is love inside her eyes. A sparkle of hope between them. Not everything is meant to be lost. Suddenly the image shadders, her memories fall apart, into deep darkness. She is back in reality._

Amberle is gone, there is just this _tree_. _How did it come so far? How could she let this happen?_ Guilt is boiling inside of her. Regret drilling in her head. Every feeling is so strong when suddenly pain takes over, piercing through her body. A longing that she never knew was there. It was supposed to be a longing for freedom but now it's different. She has a longing for _Amberle, they belong together_. She feels odd as she realizes Amberle isn't here. She looks up at the tree.

The Ellcrys looks beautiful, blue light gently touching the red leaves covering the tree, surrounding the darkness in the corners of the room. It looks _alive_. A part inside of her needs to remind herself that this is Amberle now. She didn't come here to talk to a tree but if there is the slightest chance Amberle could hear her, she should at least try.

Awkwardly she moves closer to the center of the room where roots are covering the ground. She fixes her shoulders, feeling like eyes are watching her but her voice is tender when she starts to speak " _I hope you can hear me_." She covers her eyes with one hand when she chuckles "I'm talking to a tree." she adds with irony underlying her tone "I'm casually talking to a tree, yeah that is not weird at all!"

She takes a deep breath, quickly checks if someone is behind her but no, she is alone. As far as she knows. She slowly moves up the stairs in the middle of the room, trying not to intrude. Whatever that means. She puts her right hand out but hesitates to touch the tree. She flexes her fingers before taking a deep breath and putting her flat hand on the stem. She twitches when she feels the warmth of the tree. _Trees aren't supposed to be warm?_ At least not in the middle of the night. She looks up to the sound and image of leaves dancing in the wind. Fascinated by the colors of the tree she loses time. Then suddenly she feels pressure against her palm, a pounding beat. Just like blood rushing through her own veins, as if the tree acknowledges her presence.

She moves her hand gently across the moss underneath. She looks back at her hand, swallowing hard and then clearing her throat, trying so hard not to say her name because it would break her all over again and she knew that name would leave a bitter aftertaste in her mouth that would never leave her lips " _I am so sorry. Everything that happenend ..._ " she feels guilty and she wants Amberle to know " _I couldn't save you_." tears building in her eyes but she blinks fast so they don't have to fall " _I tried! But it wasn't enough. I wasn't enough. And you should know you deserve better than to be locked inside a tree._ "

Eretria squeezes the stem with her hand, when she tries to adjust her thoughts but gets lost thinking about their last meet up. She tries hard to hold the tears back while anger lingers on her voice " _Y-You just left. You knew what was going to happen didn't you?_ " She looks up again, she almost yells " _You let me stay back even though you knew I wouldn't approve to any of this_." she pauses to catch her voice " _You just left, without saying anything ..._ "

The realization of the truth that these words hid hit her unexpectedly, her shoulders drop. Her eyes move to the ground as though she is ashamed " _You didn't even say goodbye to me. I deserved at least that, after everything I did for you!_ " Eretria closes her eyes, she is scared that the pain in her eyes would give her away " _A simple goodbye would have been nice. But apparently I wasn't worthy of these words. Not in your eyes ..._ "

Her right hand still touching the tree, slowly losing grip as her other hand wipes at her closed eyes. She opens them and looks up, disppointment filling her voice " _I thought we had something unique. Something special! I opened up to you like never before. Maybe I was wrong ..._ " 

_She tries to get her thoughts straight, but it doesn't work. The thought of never seeing Amberle's beautiful face ever again catches her attention. That smile that could melt her heart. The pointy ears she would never admit she loved. Her high pitched voice she could listen to for hours. The princess who proved her wrong. She is never going to see her again. **Never**._

Tears rolling down her cheeks, she can't hold them in anymore. She yells at Amberle, clenching her fists and hammering against the tree " _How could you do this to me? I thought we were in this together?_ " Her voice gets softer it starts to tremble as her body shivers " _And now you are gone ... just like that_." She is alone again.

She hoped she could push the thought away. But she isn't able to. Amberle is gone. And she won't come back to her. A _scream_ leaves her lips as she falls to her knees holding onto the tree. Her heart aches by that thought, she puts one hand above her heart trying to ease the pain.

She has been through so much but not one single thing can be compared to the pain she feels right now. It is eating her alive and she can't get rid of it. That's why she never wanted to get invested in someone. The pain of losing people she cared about can't be taken away from her. The _nightmares_ , that keep her awake at night. Killing them in her sleep as if it was her fault, as if she pulled the trigger. Maybe she wasn't guilty at all but it's the voice inside her head that tells her she could have saved them all but she didn't.

She pushes through clenched teeth, her eyes wet " _I wouldn't have let you do it, if I knew what was going to happen. I would have stopped you! And you would still be here!_ " she shouts "And you would still be here ..." she sounds lost now " _... with me_."

She takes a deep breath, still crying " _I went through all this trouble, sacrificed my freedom, my life so you could leave me?_ " she pauses as if waiting for a response but then continues " _I know I said I don't care ... but I lied! You were right ... Oh god how much I wish that you could hear this right now! I wish I could see you, one last time!_ "

Her voice breaks down to a whisper, her eyes closed head pointing at the ground " _ **I loved you** ..._ " she shakes her head " _I still do!_ " and then she says underneath her breath, her voice is breaking " _... I miss you already! How am I going to survive this. It hasn't even been twenty four hours yet and I have lost you over and over again ..._ " sobs interrupt her from speaking. She doesn't want to cry but she can't stop the tears from falling.

_Eretria thinks about actions left undone, words left unspoken, emotions left unexpressed. All of it is meaningless when Eretria comes to the shattering realization that Amberle is already gone and it is far to late for any of that to matter now. Her feelings may be strong but without Amberle they may just kill her slowly. A deep silence is lingering in the room and all you can hear is Eretria, crying, sobbing, breaking into pieces not quite able to breathe._

_One thing is certain, she would rather live in a world full of demons, fighting for her life every second of every day than live in a world without Amberle. She just tries to endure the aching pain that leaves a void inside her chest that even kingdoms couldn't fill._

Suddenly Eretria feels _pressure_ on her left shoulder and hears a soft voice behind her, one she thought she would never hear again " _I love you, too_." She stops crying but she hesitates. She can't help the fear creeping up in the back of her mind that maybe this was not _real_. She takes a deep breath closing her eyes, turning around.

When she opens her eyes, there is a _woman_. Her skin shining blue from the moonlight. Her hair falls perfectly on her shoulders. Eretria sees that smile that melts heart. She sees the face that takes all the pain away, instantly. And the pointy ears that she loves but would never dare to admit. Her jaw drops, lips part in surprise.

Before she could form one sentence inside her head, she jumps up. Wraping her arms around the woman that stood not even one step away a second ago. The contact of their skin made Eretria shiver, it felt _real_. She closes her eyes, her grip tightens. She lets out a relieved breath when she feels the woman's arms around her back. Tears falling down but she doesn't care. _The pain is gone_.

She is afraid that this might not be real, so she stands there, holding her tight. Whatever this is, it feels just right and she doesn't want it to end.

In one quick motion Amberle pulls away but Eretria keeps her eyes closed. Seconds go by in silence when she suddenly feels _pressure_ on her lips. She doesn't care. She doesn't hesitate and kisses her back. It's a _deep_ kiss. _Every action that has been undone. Every word that has been unspoken. Every emotion that has been unexpressed filled into one passionate kiss_. Their bodies pressed against each other in _harmony_.

She didn't think that a single kiss could hold so much meaning but feeling Amberle's lips for the first time made her realize that this was what she needed after so much pain and misery. Letting her lose herself in Amberle's arms, feeling protected. Amberle's breath on her lips, her hands pulling them closer together. _Amberle is the only thing that matters_. _Now and Forever._

Then Amberle pulls away and watches Eretria as she slowly opened her eyes in fear of being tricked by her own mind. She waits for their eyes to lock when she says so tender it makes Eretria shiver " _I will never leave you again!_ " They are just words but coming from the _right_ person it makes Eretria feel like she belongs for the first time. A smile growing on her face never has she been as happy as right now. Amberle leans closer and rests her forehead onto Eretria's. Both close their eyes and breathe in the cold air surrounding the _dead_ tree that has been _alive_ just a few moments ago.

This is where she wants to be for the rest of her life, in _Amberle_ 's arms. _Feeling like she belongs_. _Feeling like home_.

**Author's Note:**

> btw fuck the tree and let Princess Rover be happy, they deserve it!
> 
> For everyone who wants to know how Amberle got released and reversed everything ~ Only spoken words of true love could get her out of there. I know it's cliché but it makes more sense than what actually happenend :P
> 
> I won't give up on them, even though one half of my OTP is a tree! I'll ship them until one of them actually dies and even then I'll probably pretend it didn't happen. When they get a season 2 of course! Fingers crossed! :)
> 
> Kudos and Comments are very much appreciated! c:


End file.
